Psalm 27
Psalm 27
is a psalm of David in which the focus is on the salvation of the Lord. I love the way that this psalm opens. “The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom
shall I fear?” What a powerful
confession.
This is
really is a powerful thought, although I am guilty for not giving it the credit
that it is due. Here is the reason that
it is so powerful. Who that ever lived
will experience God failing them?
Think
about that for a moment. What genuine
follower of God will God fail? Even if
life deals out its worst and a person ends up in a premature death, will we not
live eternally with God?
As I write
this, I am reminded quite a bit about Jesus’ earliest followers. Peter?
Died prematurely. Paul? Died prematurely. John?
Exiled to Patmos, ministry ended prematurely. Stephen?
Died prematurely. I could go on
quite a bit with more examples. Did God
fail them as He bid them to come and live eternally with Him? I think not.
What about
martyrs in the modern world? Dietrich
Bonhoeffer? Died prematurely. Oscar Romero?
Died prematurely. Wang
Zhiming? Died prematurely. Again, I could go on and on. Did God fail them? Absolutely not. The world treated them harshly and it is God
who saved them. As David says in the
opening verses, whom shall I fear?
This is a
wonderful means of gaining perspective.
If those who are martyred for the faith have not been failed by God,
then what complaint do any of us who are still living have? Has not God sustained our life up until
now? Has not God caused us to draw breath
for at least one more day? The Lord is
my light and salvation, whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?
Then David
moves on. When evildoers surround us to
consume our flesh – yes, that’s literally what it says – why will we fear? When the enemy encamps around us and war
rises against us, why be afraid? Is
there any enemy out there that can take away the one thing that we need:
dwelling with God forever? What enemy
can snatch us out of the hand of God? Name
one thing in the world that is capable of permanently forcing us to miss out on
seeing the beauty of the Lord every day?
Here is
the truth. The only enemy that has the
power to accomplish this is yourself. Or
for me, myself. Think about it. God has given the free gift of salvation to
all that would receive it. Embrace the
Holy Spirit and He is the guarantor of eternal life. {Ephesians
1:13-14} Who can keep the Holy
Spirit from dwelling in us but ourselves?
If I reject God’s gift, then I do choose God’s wrath instead of His
salvation. But if I embrace God’s gift
of salvation to me, who can pry me out of the hands of my Savior? If you embrace God’s gift and do not reject
His ways, who can pry you out of God’s hand?
So of whom
should we be afraid? Shall we be afraid
of the person who can make our life miserable?
Absolutely not. Did Paul shrink
back when he was faced with imprisonment?
Did Isaiah stop prophesying when they threatened him and opponents rose
up against him? Did Moses turn and recant
when the vast Egyptian army came out to pursue him and his ragtag community of
followers?
Should we
be afraid of the person that can end our life?
Absolutely not. Did Luke the
Evangelist recant when they went to hang him?
Did Mark the Evangelist recant as they chopped off his head in
Alexandria? Did Jan Hus recant when they
lit a slow fire underneath him in the Middle Ages? Truth be known, Hus’ reaction instead of
recanting was to ask God to forgive those who were about to kill him. Think on that for a moment. There is a genuine follower of Jesus Christ
if I’ve ever seen one!
No. We have nothing to fear so long as we are
with God. He will lift our head up. We shall offer sacrifices in His tent. He will teach us His ways. We will look upon His goodness. So long as we do not reject His free gift of
salvation, we have nothing to fear. What
a powerful psalm. What an inspiration to
the faithful to be faithful even in death.
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